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Quinnipiac: Biden leads Democratic field, Trump in 2020 race

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quinnipiac pollA new Quinnipiac University poll has former vice president Joe Biden leading the Democratic Party presidential field and also trouncing Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2020 general-election matchup.

The poll pegs the support for among Democratic Party voters and independent voters who lean Democratic at 32 percent, followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 19 percent.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has 15 percent, while California Sen. Kamala Harris gets 7 percent, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg gets 5 percent.

Andrew Yang receives 3 percent, and no other candidate tops 1 percent.

Looking, then, to the general election, the Quinnipiac poll has Biden defeating Trump by a 54 percent-to-38 percent margin.

Of note: Quinnipiac tested Trump against five top Democratic Party presidential contenders, and the president didn’t get past the 40 percent mark against any of them.

“In hypothetical matchups between President Trump and the top five Democratic presidential candidates, one key number is 40,” said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Mary Snow. “It’s the ceiling of support for Trump, no matter the candidate. It hovers close to his job approval rating, which has stayed in a tight range since being elected.”

Quinnipiac has Sanders leading Trump by a 53 percent-to-39 percent margin, and Warren defeating Trump 52 percent to 40 percent.

Harris defeats Trump 51 percent to 40 percent.

Buttigieg leads Trump 49 percent to 40 percent.

One thing hurting Trump is, well, Trump being Trump. His trade war with China is hurting him where he thinks he is strongest, on the economy.

For the first time since Trump was elected, more voters say that the national economy is getting worse than getting better, with 37 percent saying it is getting worse, 31 percent saying it is getting better, and 30 percent saying it is staying the same.

Voters also say that President Trump’s policies are hurting the nation’s economy at 41 percent, while 37 percent say that they are helping, and 20 percent say that his policies make no difference.

“As trade tensions with China dominate the headlines, confidence in the economy is slipping,” Snow said. “The number of people who think the economy is getting worse rose by double digits since June. And roughly four in 10 voters blame the president’s policies, saying they are hurting the economy, the highest level since Trump took office.”

Overall, voters say, by a 56 percent-to-38 percent margin, that they disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, compared to the 54 percent-to-40 percent disapproval he received a month ago.

Story by Chris Graham

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